UW News and Information Web     |     UW News     University Week UW News+Community     Kathy Sauber Early bloomers Yes, Virginia, spring will come eventually. Already a few brave blossoms have managed to appear in the Quad despite the unseasonably cold temperatures we’ve had lately. VOLUME 26, NUMBER 20   |   3/12/2009  –  4/1/2009  |   UWEEK.ORG Provost plans conversations on budget Faculty and staff are invited to join Provost Phyllis Wise for drop-in conversations about the status of the state budget and the University's plans for dealing with it. The conversations will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Friday, March 13, and 12:30 to 2 p.m. Friday, April 17, in the UW Club Conference Room. 'University Week' takes a break This is the last issue of University Week for winter quarter. We will publish again the first Thursday of spring quarter, April 2. UW named Government Agency of the Year for its work with minority-owned businesses The University of Washington was recognized recently as the 2009 Government Agency of the Year by the Northwest Minority Supplier Development Council. The council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the relationship among major corporations, public agencies and minority-owned businesses. Experimental Education Unit to become research center with planned gift from founding director Retired UW Professor Norris Haring founded the Experimental Education Unit in 1965. Now, thanks to an endowment from him and his wife, the school will be able to fund 15 graduate fellowships a year as it becomes the Norris and Dorothy Haring Center for Applied Research and Training in Education. New vice chancellor for advancement joins UW Tacoma Joshua Knudson recently joined UW Tacoma in the post of vice chancellor for advancement. Knudson comes most recently from the College of Santa Fe in New Mexico, where he served as vice president for development and alumni relations. Who’s watching? UW units are finding out in UWTV report UWTV’s first annual report isn't just a glossy overview of the past year. Each of the units that have produced programs will receive a detailed look at who is watching and how they're accessing the programs. Symphony bassist to perform at March 15 concert Joe Kaufman, recently appointed assistant principal bass for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, is the special guest for a concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 15, in Brechemin Auditorium. The event is part of the Barry Lieberman and Friends series. Guitarist to give master class March 22 Grammy-nominated guitarist Paul Galbraith will conduct a master class at 10 a.m. Sunday, March 22, in 213 Music. It is free and open to the public for observation. Etc.: Campus news & notes Oceanographer Jan Newton is honored by the Seattle Aquarium, Law Professor Louis Wolcher is heading to Paris on a Fulbright, those who worked on the Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse get treated to a free performance and Capital Projects Office staffers have a little fun while promoting their bowling party. Store plenty of water to prepare for disaster Each month, UWeek is carrying a new emergency management tip from the state. This month: Store extra water for drinking, cooking and hygiene needs in case of a disaster. Official Notices A Board of Regents meeting, blood drives, a grant opportunity, a volunteer opportunity and information about a construction project. From punch cards to laptops: UW Tech employees remember 40 years with the University It may be hard to imagine the UW without the Internet, but Tom Profit, Sid McHarg, Pat Stark and Bob Kulp remember how the campus ran long before it was wired. That’s because this year, they all celebrate 40 years of working at UW Technology. Universitywide award recipients announced The University will honor 23 individuals and one team of two this year as part of the annual Universitywide awards program. The awards honor outstanding performance in teaching, mentoring, librarianship, public service and staff support. FIUTS brings the world to K-12 students through its Pen Pal Program Forty-eight fifth- and sixth-grade students from White Center Heights Elementary visited the UW campus on Wednesday, March 11, to meet international students from around the world through the Foundation for International Understanding Through Students (FIUTS) Pen Pal Program. Kids learn about, use their brains at annual open house Hundreds of students converged on the Husky Union Building Wednesday wearing hats festooned with giant neurons, trying brain teasers and memory games, and learning about neuroscience from UW students, faculty and community partners. The event was held as part of Brain Awareness Week. Learn the beat: UWPD Citizens Academy coming Wednesday afternoons April to June Want to find out more about the UW Police and how they do their job? The UW Police Citizens Academy might be just the thing. The academy is open to all faculty, staff and students, and it’s free. Science writer illuminates ‘Ten Most Beautiful Experiments’ George Johnson, who writes about science regularly for the New York Times, visits the Burke on March 25 to talk about his latest book, The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments. Lecture series on coffee kicks off with book author Mark Pendergrast, author of Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World, will talk about the history of coffee as the first speaker in the spring-quarter evening lecture series "Coffee: From the Grounds Up" April 7. MRSA Among Topics at 2009 Katterman Lecture, April 1 School of Pharmacy's annual Katterman Lecture celebrates 30th anniversary. First nursing student receives Schweitzer Public Health Fellowship Carey McCarthy has been awarded a Lambarene Schweitzer Public Health Fellowship. She plans to study nurse migration and global health workforce issues in Africa. Dead gene comes back to life in humans UW researchers discover a defunct infection-fighting gene that made a comeback during human evolution. Mumbai students win UW global social entrepreneurship competition Students from Mumbai, India, take first place by presenting an innovative plan to develop nutritious meals made of vegetable peels. Molecular and cellular biology student wins Weintraub Award Wen-Hui Lien is one of 13 international graduate students to receive the 2009 Harold M. Weintraub Graduate Student Award, sponsored by the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Inventors of the Year nominations due March 30 Nominations for the UW Medicine Inventor of the Year and Emerging Inventor of the Year awards are now being accepted. Opera Workshop. School of Music students perform scenes from operas, directed by Noel Koran. (7:30 p.m., Meany Studio Theater.) ‘The Creation.’ Geoffrey Boers conducts the University Symphony, Chamber Singers, and University Chorale in a performance of one of the most beloved oratorios of all time. Faculty artist Joyce Guyer is the featured soloist in this performance of Haydn's masterpiece, performed in honor of the 200th anniversary of the composer's passing. (7:30 p.m., Meany Hall.) Puerto Plata. A remarkable ensemble of musicians that pairs classic Afri-Dominican guitar traditions of son and bolero with the energy and vigor of contemporary bachata and merengue. Puerto Plata is also the nickname of 83-year-old Jose Cobles, the lead singer, who has been charming audiences for more than six decades. Presented by the UW World Series. (8 p.m., Meany Hall.) UWMC photo show. The Skylight Gallery, also known as the Barrel Vault Gallery, behind the information desk at the hospital's main entrance, hosts Word Play: Prose, Poetry and Myth, the UW Photographers Group's third invitational exhibition. (March 16 through April 30.) Pianist Dmitri Alexeev. He started playing piano at the age of 5, has toured extensively in Europe, the U.S., Scandinavia, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. This Russian talent is called one of the most remarkable pianists of the day. Presented by the UW World Series. (8 p.m., Meany Hall.) ‘European Highlights.’ This month's free travelogue from the UW Retirement Association, presented by Eugene Collias. Optional dinner beforehand at 6 p.m. (7:30 p.m., UW Club.) Can you guess where this photo was taken? Guess correctly, and you might win a gift certificate to the University Book Store!